


Glimpses

by goldenwanderer



Category: Warehouse 13
Genre: Angst, Community: 1sentence, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:30:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5714443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenwanderer/pseuds/goldenwanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It feels so <i>right</i>, lying like this, with Helena’s body draped across hers, Helena’s fingers entwined with her own, and the sound of Helena’s breathing in her ears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Glimpses

**Author's Note:**

> So this is what happens when you try to do all the [1sentence](http://1sentence.livejournal.com) theme sets for one pairing. It started out as a rather lame holiday gift for [drumchiksworld](http://drumchiksworld.tumblr.com) in 2014. And then it grew. A lot.
> 
> Technically, there are 250 mini-stories here, each one sentence long. Although, some of them are more like paragraphs that have been forced together to become long, run-on sentences, thanks to copious use of dashes, semi-colons, and parantheses.
> 
> The focus here is Bering & Wells, but there is a lot of Pete and Claudia and the others, too. The first eighty-two sentences take place in show canon (or almost-canon). The rest occur in that vague, happy future where Myka and Helena are together and life is (mostly, but not always) good.

**ε :: Sudden ::**  
Myka Bering’s life spins and changes in quick bursts, too fast for her to see: one minute she is in love with her best friend and partner, the next she is watching him fall with a bullet in his head; one day she is saving the President from assassins, the next she is reassigned to a warehouse in South Dakota; one moment she is all alone in the universe, the next she is surrounded by a family she never could have imagined.

 **β :: Wishes ::**  
Lying on her new bed, Myka listens to the ferret rustling around in his cage and thinks about impossible wishes.

 **β :: Burning ::**  
As the Denver report turns to ashes in the fireplace (unread, unimportant now), Myka curls up in a chair with a warm drink and her copy of _The Time Machine_.

 **δ :: Metal ::**  
Her first time visiting the Bronze Sector, Myka is focused on MacPherson and doesn’t see the woman, held in a metal prison, who will change everything.

 **δ :: Air ::**  
The first thing Helena feels in over a century is a rush of cold, dry air, and the pain of thawing lungs gasping for it.

 **ε :: Fool ::**  
The female, clearly the agent with higher intelligence and competence, is more appealing to Helena; yet the male will be easier to deceive, so it is he whom she seduces.

 **δ :: Beginning ::**  
Helena’s life begins again in her old house in London, with a pistol trained upon her and a pair of green eyes that steadily hold her gaze.

 **α :: Touch ::**  
As Myka cuffs her hands to the chair, Helena’s fingers reach, involuntarily, to brush Myka’s; it is only a moment, one which Helena will soon forget, but Myka will not.

 **γ :: Gravity ::**  
H.G. Wells may be one of Myka’s favorite authors - and, apparently, a kick-ass woman who once worked for the Warehouse - but right now, sprawled on the ceiling, Myka is having a _very_ difficult time finding a reason to like her.

 **δ :: Coffee ::**  
Coffee shops, Helena finds, are perfectly suited to learning through careful observation about this new age in which she finds herself – though the drivel that they call “tea” is _ghastly_ , and the coffee is even worse.

 **ε :: Shadow ::**  
Helena follows Myka for weeks, tracking her movements and observing her behavior, before allowing herself to be discovered at Tamalpais.

 **γ :: Breathe ::**  
The first time Myka leaves Helena breathless it’s quite literal, with Myka’s hand pressing against her throat as she pushes her up against the wall; near-strangulation is not precisely a pleasant experience, and is in fact one she will endeavor to avoid in the future, but she would very much like to have Myka’s hands on her again.

 **δ :: Flying ::**  
And then the world falls away, and Myka’s breath along with it, as she rises high in the air on the arm of H.G. Wells.

 **γ :: Search ::**  
Later, Helena will suggest that this - their first time working together to locate an artifact - could be also be considered their first date; Myka will laugh at this, but she will not dispute the point.

 **α :: Gift ::**  
Myka isn’t sure what to make of this gift – not so much the grappler itself (she can see its usefulness, despite what she said to H.G.), but rather the note left with it, and more importantly its writer, and the effect that both have had on Myka, which she does not understand.

 **δ :: Secret ::**  
Myka has no idea why she keeps _not_ telling Artie about H.G; all she knows is that she trusts the woman for some inexplicable reason and she doesn’t want her to be sent back to the Bronze.

 **α :: Smile ::**  
Myka can’t help the grin that splits her face as the newly-reinstated and thankfully-not-bronzed Agent Wells makes her grand entrance.

 **δ :: Poison ::**  
No matter what anyone says, Artie _knows_ that having H.G. Wells around is dangerous (one only needs to look at the effect she has on Myka to know _that_ ), and he will do _whatever it takes_ to protect his family and his life’s work from the likes of _her_.

 **β :: Balcony ::**  
Myka leads Helena to the balcony outside the office to give her the whole “Welcome to Warehouse 13” routine (which Artie clearly won’t be doing) – and she doesn’t notice that Helena, who has worked in a Warehouse before, is more interested in the woman giving the introduction than in the introduction itself.

 **γ :: Formal ::**  
“We needn’t be so formal, Agent Bering – you may call me Helena, if you like.”

 **γ :: Fever ::**  
Helena falls ill within days of arriving in Univille, in spite of (or perhaps as a result of) the myriad vaccinations given to her by Dr. Calder, and though she curses this century for exposing her to such sickness and her own immune system for its failure to function correctly, she cannot say that Myka Bering’s care is unwelcome.

 **ε :: Drive ::**  
Myka appoints herself to the task of teaching Helena how to drive (she refuses to let Pete or Claudia do it, on principle), and thinks later that she should not have been surprised how quickly Helena picked it up.

 **β :: War ::**  
The endless fights with Artie over Helena leave Myka drained and often on the edge of tears.

 **γ :: Drink ::**  
After so long without a drinking partner, it’s nice to be able to share a glass with someone like Helena at the end of a long day.

 **α :: Kiss ::**  
Myka does not know she wants this until it happens – they are in a hotel in Cairo and Mrs. Frederic may be dying, but Helena has pressed her lips to Myka’s and Myka’s back is against the wall and Helena’s hands are everywhere, and for several long moments Myka does not have the presence of mind to pull away.

 **ε :: Soul ::**  
The Medusa is brutal for all of them but especially so for Helena, who cannot bear the agony of being ripped away from her daughter a second time.

 **α :: Pain ::**  
Being hit by a Tesla _hurts_ , and that is the first thing Myka feels when she comes to, but the aches throughout her body soon fade in comparison to the sting of betrayal.

 **ε :: Blur ::**  
Myka will have trouble remembering the time between Egypt and Yellowstone - most of the hours are spent in the air, waiting, but even the moments of action will be unclear when Myka tries to think back on them later.

 **δ :: Despair ::**  
Putting her gun in H.G.’s hands and aiming it at her own forehead is a desperate move, but Artie is bleeding on the ground and H.G. is moments away from starting an ice age and Myka is out of ideas – all she has left is this gamble and the hope that it will pay off.

 **ε :: Stop ::**  
Helena has no intention to bargain, or debate, and certainly not to stop what she’s doing – humanity is an illness that must be purged for its own good, and she cannot think of any compelling reason not to finish what she has begun – but when Myka Bering puts a gun into her hand and asks to die, Helena's strength fades and she can find no way to continue.

 **β :: Defeat ::**  
They’ve won – or at least, Myka supposes they’ve won, since she’s the one holding the trident and the world isn’t ending – but the taste of defeat lingers in her mouth, bitter and unexplainable.

 **γ :: Dream ::**  
That night, Myka dreams of Helena for the first time – or perhaps it is a nightmare, with memories of the softness of her lips and the warmth of her body blending and turning into the coldness of a gun at her forehead and the sound of Helena’s anguished cries – and she wakes up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath, and she does not know how she will ever sleep again, if _that_ is what awaits her.

 **γ :: Forgotten ::**  
Helena does not want to forget; she clings to the memories, of her brother, of Christina, of Myka, but the Janus coin is relentless and cruel, and pulls each memory away in turn – and then Helena is gone, and the empty shell that is Emily Lake is all that remains.

 **β :: Horizon ::**  
Myka has to leave soon, to be away from here before they can stop her, but in the minutes after Mrs. Frederic disappears, Myka finds she can’t move away from the railing; she looks out across the Warehouse instead, over the endless rows and the marvels they contain, and wonders how she could ever leave this place which has become her home – and then she remembers H.G., and everything that has happened, and her resolve returns – still the walking away is even more painful than she imagined.

 **ε :: Book ::**  
Myka does _not_ leave the Warehouse because of Helena – not really – and yet the entire time that she spends in her parents’ bookstore, she does not (will not; _can_ not) touch anything written by H.G. Wells.

 **γ :: Mask ::**  
She thought she had come to know Helena quite well, but for a long time after Cairo and Yellowstone, Myka is not sure how much was true and how much was merely part of Helena’s plans.

 **ε :: Change ::**  
Myka straightens and darkens her hair to appease Tracy, who is convinced that Myka has suffered a heartbreak and tells her that a little change can help; it doesn’t work, not the way Tracy hoped, because Myka’s suffering is more complicated than a broken heart.

 **ε :: Harm ::**  
Mrs. Frederic says, “She can’t hurt you, Myka,” and it’s true, in the sense that H.G. is only a projection and can’t cause physical damage; but it is hard to see her again, this woman Myka thought she’d known – and it is but shouldn’t be painful to be so close but unable to touch her, to put her hands on Helena’s body and feel _nothing_ , to watch her vanish from existence at another’s command.

 **δ :: Solid ::**  
Myka has never given much thought to the value of a person’s solidity until H.G. Wells is no more than a hologram, an illusion of light and sound in front of her, and suddenly no other consideration seems quite as important.

 **δ :: New ::**  
The new guy is staying in H.G.’s room and the only person it bothers is Myka.

 **δ :: Doors ::**  
Pete has seen Myka stop and stare at the door to where H.G.’s room used to be when she thinks nobody is looking, but H.G. is one of the things they don’t talk about, so he pretends not to notice.

 **ε :: Goodbye ::**  
The one time she says “goodbye” to Helena is the only time that her leaving is Myka’s doing and not Helena’s (or someone or something else’s); this may be important, but Myka is too busy missing Helena to consider the implications.

 **δ :: Strange ::**  
There are a lot of weird things about the Pete-less alternate reality that Pete’s found himself in, but for some reason it really bugs him that Myka doesn’t have a _clue_ who H.G. is.

 **γ :: Unknown ::**  
Emily Lake does not know this woman (that's the thing about amnesia: everyone’s a stranger), but Emily sees the familiarity and – affection? sadness? – in her eyes and realizes the woman knows _her_ ; and, not for the first time, Emily desperately wishes she could remember.

 **α :: Market ::**  
If this were a less stressful situation, Myka might laugh at the irony of finding Helena’s holographic projection sphere at a grocery store – such a mundane place to keep the imprisoned consciousness of such an extraordinary woman.

 **δ :: War ::**  
How can Pete be so calm about this – how can he see her as no more than a… a _war casualty_ , when this is _H.G. Wells_ they’re talking about – when this is _Helena_?

 **α :: Sky ::**  
Helena used to say that if she had to die, she wanted it to happen in the open air, looking up at the sky, rather than in some cramped room in a house or hospital; now that it’s come to it, she’d rather face her end while looking at Myka Bering, but she knows if she does, she will not have the strength to do this, and it _must_ be done, for Myka’s sake – and so for the moment before she blinks back into nothingness, permanently, Helena stares upward, and thinks of hazel-green eyes.

 **α :: Fear ::**  
Helena has never known fear like this: Myka is trapped beneath a blade which only moments ago split open a boy’s skull, and unless Helena can somehow defeat a chess master at his own game – a feat she never accomplished in all the times they played together – she is helpless to save her.

 **β :: Belief ::**  
Helena cannot comprehend Myka’s trust in her after all she’s done, but far be it from her to question it.

 **α :: Bonds ::**  
They are too busy _trying not to die_ to notice how close the rope has brought them; it will occur to Helena later, who will then point out to Myka that, as near-death experiences go, this was far from the worst.

 **δ :: Peace ::**  
This may not be the ending she’d have chosen, but so long as Myka is safe, Helena is at peace.

 **α :: Supernova ::**  
Myka slams her eyes shut, but not soon enough to miss the light that envelops her beloved, or tight enough to block out the flames that envelop her home.

 **β :: Waste/Wasteland ::**  
Where the Warehouse once stood there is only a crater, but Myka hardly notices the ashes and smoke; the others mourn the building (its contents, its memories), but all Myka can think of is _Helena_ … **_Helena_** …

 **δ :: Hollow ::**  
Myka holds it together because she can’t do anything else; she _will not_ let herself feel the empty spaces inside her where Steve and Helena and hope used to be, because if she does she will fall apart, and she cannot save anything or anyone if she is nothing but a broken mess.

 **δ :: Apples ::**  
Following their escape from the rigging of the _Mary Celeste_ , Helena is shocked to discover the scent of apples in the air – the Warehouse has not expressed an interest in her in a very long time, not since her madness following Christina’s death – and it is this realization, coupled with Artie’s bizarre behavior, that leads her to suspect that things are not as they seem.

 **ε :: Precious ::**  
Helena has complete faith that Myka will find her beloved locket and return it to her; yet she is shaking when Myka holds it out to her, afterward, and she clutches it tightly in her fist all evening, not letting go even to eat or sleep.

 **γ :: Hero ::**  
Artie still can’t believe that he is saying this, that he is defending _H.G. Wells_ , but he saw that she was willing to die for them (more specifically, for Myka; he’s neither blind nor stupid) and so here he is, doing the exact opposite of what anyone would expect and asking for leniency for that devil woman.

 **ε :: Wait ::**  
Some part of Myka knows that this is probably happening too fast, that they need to slow down and talk before even thinking about doing _this_ , but Helena’s tongue is in her mouth and Helena’s hand is pressed against her breast and all Myka wants is to be _closer_ , so for a while she stops thinking and just feels.

 **α :: Sex ::**  
After last night Myka expects to be teased, so she is surprised that when she enters the kitchen in a bathrobe with mussed-up hair, clearly looking for food to take back upstairs to her new lover, all she gets is silence from the peanut gallery – but just as she is about to leave, not quite believing her luck, Pete begins to snigger into his toast, and Claudia turns her laptop to show Myka an image with text that reads, “Congrats on the sex.”

 **β :: Nowhere ::**  
Two days after regaining her body, Helena vanishes without a trace, and no one – not the Regents, not Mrs. Frederic, not Artie – will tell Myka where she has gone.

 **ε :: Time ::**  
Ironic, for the Time Traveler, that the only thing she never seems to have enough of with the woman she loves, is _time_.

 **β :: Virtuous ::**  
It is highly discomfiting, waiting whilst a group of strangers weighs her virtues against her shortcomings, in order to determine whether she ought to be freed or re-imprisoned – especially when, despite all of Myka’s efforts, she has little faith in her own good nature.

 **β :: Whiskey and Rum ::**  
Steve isn’t sure whether it’s his company or the alcohol that gets Myka talking (he hasn’t spent much time alone with her, and he hasn’t seen her drink much either, because of Pete), but he gets the sense that she needs this, needs to talk about H.G., so he keeps his mouth shut and listens.

 **α :: Death ::**  
Helena has wondered what possible action she might have taken to prompt such a dramatic shift in Artie’s opinions of her, and in fact she has considered the possibility that she may not have survived in the original timeline, but still she is taken aback when the truth is revealed; well, it is not every day that one learns of one’s own demise.

 **γ :: Hope ::**  
For just a moment, when she hears Helena’s voice on the phone after so many weeks of silence, Myka lets herself hope.

 **β :: Question ::**  
Her mouth is saying words about staying and fighting, but her mind is screaming something else: _Won’t you come home with me, **please?**_

 **γ :: Farewells ::**  
Pete’s vibes are going crazy as Mykes and H.G. hug each other goodbye, but as they drive he watches Myka curl into herself, heartbroken, the way (he now knows) she was after that mess with Warehouse 2 and Yellowstone, and he’s not sure what to say, or whether he should say anything at all.

 **α :: Tears ::**  
Pete has only seen his best friend cry twice: once before, when they were both hallucinating, he snapped out of it to find her fighting in her head with Sam (so he held her then, for the first time); and now, a few weeks after leaving H.G. in Wisconsin, he comes to invite her to watch a movie and finds her sobbing and gasping into her pillow (so he climbs onto her bed and holds her and she cries into _him_ instead).

 **α :: Devotion ::**  
Myka should _not_ still be hung up on Helena – the woman betrayed them and tried to destroy the world, then turned around and _saved_ the world, then disappeared and went to play house with some _nobody_ in _Wisconsin_ , of all places, instead of coming home to Myka, and honestly Pete’s probably right, she does deserve better – but though she’s trying to move on, she can’t get Helena out of her head... and she’s not sure she wants to.

 **γ :: Hurricane ::**  
The problem with H.G., Pete thinks, is not the way she went all supervillain and tried to blow up the world (though obviously that’s not a good thing either and they shouldn’t forget it); it’s the way that she blows in and out of their lives and back again and Myka’s the one who always ends up getting hurt.

 **γ :: Dance ::**  
By now, the others are experts at dancing around any topic involving H.G., to avoid upsetting Myka.

 **β :: Stupidity ::**  
Claudia’s the one that has to ask H.G. to come home, because nobody else (cough cough, _Myka_ ) will step up and do it, and god knows H.G. won’t leave Nowheresville, USA without a damn good reason (as if being there for Myka isn’t reason enough) – Claudia loves them both, but for a pair of certified geniuses, they really can be _idiots_ sometimes.

 **ε :: Need ::**  
“She won’t admit it, but she needs you, H.G.,” is what Claudia says – then she looks down at her coffee, away from H.G.’s stupidly perfect face, and mumbles, “And she’s not the only one.”

 **ε :: History ::**  
So much has happened between herself and Myka, the fault in large part being her own, that Helena is not certain how reconciliation could ever be possible.

 **δ :: Roses ::**  
Myka is asleep when Helena arrives at the hospital, flowers in hand, and for a moment Helena is struck with the impulse to leave the flowers and run away again before Myka wakes; but then Myka shifts slightly in her sleep and Helena stifles her impulses, reminding herself that she is here for Myka’s sake, not her own, and it is Myka who must decide whether she should stay or go – so she places the flowers on the windowsill and settles into a chair to wait.

 **α :: Rain ::**  
Their reunion doesn’t consist of lofty declarations or kisses in the rain, but rather simple greetings (“Hey” – “Hello, Myka”) and their arms around each other.

 **ε :: Last ::**  
Helena suspects she is running out of chances with Myka; she can only hope that this one is not her last.

 **δ :: Welcome ::**  
The first time she came to stay at the bed and breakfast, Helena was greeted with wary looks and sideways glances, from everyone but Myka; the second time, she is once again greeted with Myka’s smile, but this time it is joined by smiles and words of welcome from the rest of the family as well.

 **δ :: Ugly ::**  
There’s nothing pretty about fighting cancer; she’s sick and it’s gross and pathetic and she can’t figure out why Helena would want to stay with her through it.

 **α :: Forever ::**  
When Myka, with understandable wariness, demands to know how long Helena intends to stay this time, Helena calmly meets her gaze and answers, “For as long as you’ll have me.”

 **β :: Breaking ::**  
Pete worries, at first, that H.G. being around all the time will somehow mess up his and Myka’s team of awesomeness, but Myka knows what he’s thinking and tells him, point blank, that _nobody_ , not even H.G., is going to change the fact that he’s her partner and her best friend – and then she hugs him instead of punching him, and Pete figures everything is going to be okay.

 **ε :: Ghost ::**  
Leena watches them sometimes, because even though she’s dead she can’t help but worry; she watches Artie at his piano, playing the song he’s finally finished; she watches Claudia and Steve chatting late into the night about nothing in particular; she watches Pete shoveling food into his mouth all while complaining that it’s not as good as hers was; she watches the new innkeeper, Abigail, who tries her best but can’t quite manage to take care of the plants; and she watches Myka and Helena reading quietly in the library, unable to keep from occasionally looking up and smiling at each other; and so Leena, even in death, is content.

* * *

**ε :: Eye ::**  
The colors in Myka’s eyes are difficult to ascertain, one day a soft hazel and the next a bright green, but always with a spark of something undefinable that pulls Helena deeper.

 **ε :: Hide ::**  
“Helena, where did you put my Twizzlers _this_ time?”

 **δ :: Foot ::**  
Myka attempts to wear Helena’s boots one day, only to discover that her feet are at least a size too big; still, at the end of the day she thinks it may be worth the pain, as Helena massages her aching feet with soft hands and a warm smile.

 **α :: Potatoes ::**  
Myka does not like potatoes, and she especially does not like potatoes all over her clothes and in her hair (she’s still not sure how Pete managed to start a food fight while simultaneously stuffing his face), but Helena’s laughter is a rare enough treat that Myka spares Pete a well-deserved punch in the shoulder… for now.

 **β :: Nuance ::**  
Only Myka can tell Helena’s smirks apart, the differences between _I win again, Miss Donovan_ ; _Your partner truly is a child, isn’t he, darling?_ ; _Artie won’t admit it, but_ I _am right this time_ ; and _I’ve some very special plans for you tonight, my love._

 **δ :: Green ::**  
Oddly, aside from Leena, Helena is the most environmentally conscious of them all – “You’ve never lived in nineteenth century London, darling,” is her only explanation.

 **γ :: Wait ::**  
Sometimes, when Myka finishes her work early, she waits at the edge of Helena’s workspace, leaning against the doorway, content to watch Helena as she works, oblivious to the world.

 **β :: Just ::**  
Pete and Claudia protest when it happens, claiming it’s unfair for Helena – inexplicably talented, or perhaps just lucky, when it comes to video games – to help her girlfriend, but no matter how they try to cheat, Myka still always loses (but she doesn’t mind; she’s only in it for the post-game victory sex, anyway).

 **γ :: Fire ::**  
A smirk (“Not sure if you’ve noticed, darling, but you’re completely covered in ash – have you been playing with fire again?”), then a sigh (“I swear, I’m going to _kill_ Pete”).

 **α :: Name ::**  
Helena steadfastly refuses to share what her middle initial stands for, though Pete suspects the information has been secretly shared with Myka, if that little smirk on her face whenever he asks is any indication.

 **ε :: Wrong ::**  
Surrounded by people whose concerns about Helena have more to do with her treacherous past and her slight insanity, it's easy for Myka to forget how many people would have a problem with her dating Helena because they're both women.

 **δ :: Earth ::**  
“I would so love to see the Earth from above,” Helena muses as they watch the latest shuttle launch on television; Myka whispers _one day_ , and Helena smiles.

 **α :: Hell ::**  
Helena is quite convinced that hell, if such a place exists, consists at least in part of endless days of inventory with only Artie for company; Myka says, _it’s not so bad_ , but Helena is not convinced.

 **β :: Valiant ::**  
“It was a valiant effort,” is what Myka says after each failed experiment, to which Helena always responds with a huff, a roll of her eyes, and then a kiss.

 **ε :: Attention ::**  
“Pardon me, but it seems there is some urgent business to which I must attend,” Helena informs Claudia as Myka, who has not seen – or _touched_ – Helena in three days, drags her away from her work.

 **δ :: Snow ::**  
Helena at first assumes that the others exaggerate when speaking of Myka’s enjoyment of winter, but then she sees the smile of Myka’s face in the midst of the first snowfall of the season and has to conclude that the stories were indeed accurate.

 **γ :: Lies ::**  
Steve may be the best at it, but Myka’s developed a fairly accurate sense for when Helena isn’t quite being honest with her.

 **γ :: Silence ::**  
They speak best without words; they always have.

 **γ :: Ring ::**  
The only thing keeping Myka from yelling at Claudia for teaching Helena how to change the ringtones on Myka’s cell phone (to something obnoxious; what else), is the bright smile on Helena’s face as she explains her latest accomplishment.

 **β :: Victory ::**  
“I believe this means I win again…” – “Just shut up and kiss me, Wells.”

 **β :: Jousting ::**  
Myka rolls her eyes, because only at Warehouse 13 would she end up in an _actual_ jousting match in order to _defend her lady’s honor_ – as Claudia hands her a lance, she thinks, _Helena had better be grateful for this_.

 **γ :: Overwhelmed ::**  
Helena develops a headache only minutes into her introduction, courtesy of Pete and Claudia, to the world of film and television; fortunately Myka intervenes, and her selection – a black-and-white film from the first half of the 20th century – is far less taxing on Helena’s senses.

 **δ :: Water ::**  
The amount of available hot water at the B &B has always been an issue, and things only get worse, not better, when Myka and H.G. start sharing showers.

 **α :: Technology ::**  
“You know, Mykes, it’s kind of sad that the hundred-and-fifty-year-old Victorian lady picks up this stuff faster than you do.”

 **γ :: Wings ::**  
Myka looks at Helena’s latest sketches and laughs – “I’m pretty sure the airplane’s been invented already,” she says – but it’s just like H.G. to insist that she would have done a better job of it.

 **β :: Walking ::**  
“Someone really ought to devise an alternative means of transportation for this place,” Helena grumbles as her feet begin to ache, but then Myka slips her hands in Helena’s and she thinks she might not mind the walking after all.

 **γ :: Cover ::**  
Helena does tend to steal the covers, but since she usually ends up as a blanket herself, draped over Myka’s body, Myka doesn’t usually notice.

 **β :: Quitting ::**  
“I don’t care how poorly you think you’re doing – you are _not_ leaving me alone in this with _Pete_ and _Claudia_.”

 **γ :: Journey ::**  
Myka doesn’t mind the long plane rides quite as much as she used to, now that she can spend the hours on the phone with Helena.

 **γ :: Red ::**  
It seems to be Helena’s mission to make Myka blush (especially in front of the others) as often as possible, and to no one’s surprise, she achieves great success in the endeavor.

 **α :: Lightning/Thunder ::**  
Honestly, with all that sexual tension Myka and H.G. have got going on, Claudia’s surprised they haven’t set off a storm in the Warehouse yet.

 **α :: Speed ::**  
Myka knows Helena has adjusted to the twenty-first century the day she begins to complain about the slow Internet connection. 

**α :: Ears ::**  
“So who wants to go to the store with me to get earplugs?” Claudia asks one morning after, and both Pete and Steve volunteer immediately.

 **β :: Waltz ::**  
“I can’t dance,” Myka tries to argue, but Helena pulls her close anyway and spins her around in time to the music.

 **β :: Bias ::**  
“I can’t exactly make an impartial judgment,” Myka says when asked to name her favorite author, “considering who I’m in love with.”

 **ε :: Believe ::**  
“I work at the Warehouse and I’m in love with H.G. Wells; at this point I’m pretty sure anything is possible.”

 **α :: Moon ::**  
Myka lazily traces her fingers across Helena’s face, already asleep and aglow in the moonlight, before falling into sleep with a soft sigh and a contended smile.

 **β :: Balloon ::**  
Myka is annoyed with Pete for showing Helena the effect of helium on her voice - and she’d punch him if she could just stop laughing.

 **α :: Wind ::**  
Helena always adores Myka’s curls, but there is something irresistible about the way they look after they have been tossed about in the wind.

 **ε :: Power ::**  
“Am I correct in assuming that this was not _meant_ to happen?” H.G. asks, which confuses Myka until she realizes that this is probably the first time H.G. has experienced an electrical blackout.

 **δ :: Head ::**  
“I was unaware that the phrase, ‘use your head,’ was meant to be taken literally,” Helena teases as she holds the ice pack to the newly-tender side of Myka’s skull.

 **β :: Solitary ::**  
“Well, darling, it seems that everyone has gone and left us all alone – whatever shall we do now?”

 **ε :: Wall ::**  
Helena groans as Myka pins her to the wall, lips and teeth nipping at her neck, one hand at her breast as the other moves lower.

 **γ :: Lock ::**  
“Darling, did you remember to lock the door?” asks Helena, half-naked and halfway through the buttons on Myka’s shirt, as feet come thundering down the hallway.

 **δ :: Duty ::**  
There are few phrases Helena dislikes more than, “We have work, Helena, we have to get up,” when staying in bed is so much more pleasant.

 **β :: Jester ::**  
The relationship between Myka and Pete is a mystery to Helena; she comes to appreciate it more as time passes, once she sees that Pete is not _always_ a child, and is on occasion capable of great depth, but even so there is something incomprehensible to her about the bond between them – eventually she decides it is simpler to just let it be.

 **δ :: Dark ::**  
Helena does not mind falling asleep in the dark – it is waking in pitch blackness that frightens her, that reminds her of endless days and nights spent trapped in bronze; the nightlight is a comfort but Myka’s presence is better, her voice and her touch guiding Helena back from her darkest places.

 **ε :: Young ::**  
Myka has to stop herself from laughing every time someone refers to Helena as a “young lady.”

 **δ :: Hope ::**  
If Myka and H.G. can make a relationship work, with all of their history and baggage and the craziness that is the Warehouse, then Pete figures there’s hope for the rest of them.

 **ε :: Thousand ::**  
It’s rare that Helena is offended by discussion of her past dalliances, but: “I beg your pardon – there were _not_ that many!”

 **δ :: Stable ::**  
Helena is confident that the table can support their combined weight; Myka isn’t so sure, and she’d really rather not have to explain to anyone how the table broke, but Helena’s confidence is sexy and irresistible, and so: “If this thing collapses, you are taking all the blame, Wells,” followed by, “As you wish, love.”

 **α :: Weakness ::**  
“You know perfectly well that I can’t resist you.”

 **γ :: Cold ::**  
“We really should think about getting a space heater in here,” Myka muses, pulling the blankets over them while Helena cuddles closer and hums in unconcerned agreement.

 **β :: Serenade ::**  
Claudia puts together a mix tape of sappy-but-not-totally-lame love songs for her favorite couple, then makes them promise that they _never ever tell her_ how or when they use it.

 **δ :: Rain ::**  
The only good thing about a day spent chasing down artifacts in the rain is the look in Helena’s eyes when Myka comes home soaking wet.

 **ε :: God ::**  
The Warehouse isn’t a deity, but the way it continues to bring Myka and Helena together feels a little like divine intervention.

 **α :: Jealousy ::**  
From time to time, Helena will deliberately speak fondly of a past lover for the purpose of provoking a reaction from Myka; irrational jealousy arouses a passion in Myka that Helena always finds… _delicious_.

 **δ :: Light ::**  
Helena bats Myka’s hand away from the light switch and whispers, “Leave it on – I want to see you.”

 **β :: Jewel ::**  
To anyone else, the fact that Helena tested the bracelet first in a static bag before presenting it to Myka as a gift would not be considered the least bit romantic.

 **δ :: Summer ::**  
Helena deliberately delays the repair of the inn’s air conditioning system, enjoying the sight of Myka’s shirts clinging to her sweat-dampened skin – however, within an hour of the moment that Pete descends the stairs without a shirt, the air conditioner mysteriously sputters back to life.

 **δ :: Flexible ::**  
Working for the Warehouse means having an unpredictable schedule, so Myka has learned to always have a back-up plan when scheduling nights out with Helena (and really, she has had to use Plan B so often she’s starting to reconsider having a Plan A in the first place); still Helena always makes the extra planning and inevitable interruptions worth her while.

 **δ :: Lost ::**  
The official story is that they were _not_ lost in London, the city in which Helena lived for many, many years – and that they most certainly did _not_ need to stop and ask for directions, because of course Helena knew exactly where they were going.

 **ε :: Picture ::**  
Helena’s favorite photograph of Myka is one which Claudia took surreptitiously, one afternoon when Myka had fallen asleep on the sofa with her head on Helena’s shoulders, blissfully unaware of anything but Helena’s warmth.

 **β :: Quarrel ::**  
“You might not want to go in there,” warns Claudia, with good reason: “The moms are fighting again.”

 **ε :: Cool ::**  
Myka can’t help snickering every time Helena attempts to use modern slang, or – for example – when either Pete or Claudia convinces her to do a fist bump; she comes off as awkward instead of cool, but she’s also adorable, though Myka will spare her pride and not tell her so.

 **β :: Smirk ::**  
“If you smirk at me one more time, Wells, you can forget about having sex tonight,” but that only provokes another smirk, for Helena knows how little Myka can resist her when she puts her mind to it.

 **δ :: Honor ::**  
“I assure you, Agent Lattimer, my intentions toward your partner are entirely honorable – though I am glad she has a friend like you to come to her defense.”

 **δ :: Old ::**  
Myka has plenty of books of her own, but she frequently reads from Helena’s instead; she likes the smell of them, old and well-loved, and she enjoys the personal inscriptions, the insights into Helena’s former life, almost as much as the stories themselves.

 **α :: Innocence ::**  
“Ah – my eyes!” Claudia cries before darting away, and Helena, smiling against Myka’s mouth as she pointedly does _not_ move her hands, whispers, “Perhaps a change of location, to spare poor Ms. Donovan?”

 **γ :: Temptation ::**  
Artie usually assigns them inventory on opposite sides of the Warehouse, in an attempt to _minimize distractions_ , but more often than not Helena disregards this and finds her way to Myka anyway.

 **β :: Sarcasm ::**  
Helena and Artie still speak to each other in sarcasm – but, to Myka’s relief, their words are generally less cutting and more civil these days.

 **δ :: Food ::**  
Helena _does_ know a few things about cooking, but since most of what she knows she learned over a century ago, it doesn’t always translate well; Myka gives her what encouragement she can, then urges her to let Leena handle the cooking from now on.

 **β :: Jump ::**  
“Fifteen more minutes, Mykes, and we’ll be home and you can jump H.G.’s bones like you’ve been waiting f— _okay_ , okay, no need to get violent.”

 **γ :: Whisper ::**  
The last thing Helena hears before sleep takes her is a soft, “I love you.”

 **γ :: Ice ::**  
Skating may be among Myka’s favorite pastimes, but it is decidedly _not_ one of Helena’s – she prefers to sit along the edge and watch as Myka glides gracefully across the ice, then to kiss her breathless when she is finished.

 **α :: Completion ::**  
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are when you fall apart for me, love?”

 **ε :: Fortune ::**  
Myka’s Farnsworth starts to blare just as she is reaching the last buttons on Helena’s shirt; she groans, cursing their luck and Artie’s timing, and Helena just laughs.

 **γ :: Run ::**  
Helena does not like to join Myka on her morning run; she prefers other forms of exercise, like making love to Myka after she has returned from her morning run.

 **ε :: Gentle ::**  
“Cut Helena some slack today; she didn’t sleep well,” Myka says to the others at breakfast – she adds, “Dreams about Christina,” and they all understand perfectly.

 **α :: Home ::**  
This is home: the smell of Leena’s cooking that draws everyone to the table; the sound of Pete and Claudia playing video games; the sight of Steve meditating in the garden; the taste of Helena’s lips on her own; the feel of her family crowded around her for a game or a movie; the sense of belonging at last.

 **ε :: Torn ::**  
When Myka asks, afterward, about her ruined shirt, Helena shrugs a little, smiles, and says, “I didn’t hear you complaining about it at the time.”

 **ε :: Command ::**  
“Don’t even think about it, Helena Wells.”

 **β :: Quirks ::**  
Helena usually has little trouble fitting into modern society, but sometimes she says things or reacts in ways that are just strange enough to be noticed; fortunately, people nearly always attribute any of Helena’s oddities to her foreign nationality, rather than to her age.

 **δ :: Taboo ::**  
“We are _not_ having sex in the Warehouse,” Myka says every time Helena suggests it, but sometimes Helena is able - with considerable effort - to convince Myka to break her own rule.

 **ε :: Naked ::**  
Helena’s train of thought derails entirely when she enters their bedroom to find Myka waiting for her on the bed without a single stitch of clothing.

 **δ :: Pretty ::**  
Myka sometimes rolls her eyes and says, “You’re lucky you’re so pretty, Wells.”

 **γ :: Sacred ::**  
No objects holds more significance to Helena than the locket bearing a picture of her Christina, and so Myka is overwhelmed when Helena asks to put a picture of her in the locket as well.

 **ε :: Vision ::**  
Helena loves watching Myka in the eyewear she dons at night, as she concentrates on a report or on a good book; but more than that, Helena loves taking that eyewear _off_ of Myka so that she can kiss her senseless.

 **γ :: World ::**  
Myka loves that her job takes her to so many interesting places, ones she wouldn’t mind exploring further someday with Helena – and without artifacts.

 **γ :: Laugh ::**  
Myka realizes one day that she laughs a lot more these days than she used to; part of that is Pete’s fault, and part of it is Helena’s.

 **α :: Sun ::**  
Myka likes to wake with the sunrise, to watch the way the light falls across Helena’s sleeping face.

 **γ :: Midnight ::**  
Helena is perched on the kitchen counter, moaning quietly as her lover’s hand works between her legs, when suddenly light floods the room; they have forgotten about Pete’s late-night snacking habits.

 **α :: Telephone ::**  
Myka doesn’t expect this will work, but she should know better – Helena’s voice always leaves her breathless and falling apart, even over the phone.

 **γ :: Highway ::**  
“Helena, I love your fingers, you know I do, but you really can’t _do that_ when I’m going 70 miles an hour.”

 **γ :: Talent ::**  
“I am highly skilled at many things,” says Helena, and leaves the rest to Myka’s imagination.

 **γ :: Promise ::**  
“Don’t leave me,” Myka begs, and Helena answers, “Never.”

 **ε :: Bother ::**  
“So, question of the day – who’s the unfortunate soul that gets to go up there and interrupt them?”

 **ε :: King ::**  
A loud knock on the door, brief silence, then Claudia’s voice through the door saying, “So sorry to bother you – so, _so_ sorry – but we got a ping – a couple pings, actually – and I know it’s not even 9 am on a Saturday but His Royal Crankiness got here twenty minutes ago and wants to know where _you two_ are – without actually _knowing_ , of course, because ew, gross – and I drew the metaphorical short straw and got to come up here and interrupt you… aaaand you really don’t wanna hear my voice right now, so like, make it quick or whatever and come down as soon as you can _okay bye_.”

 **ε :: Now ::**  
“I’ll deal with Artie and the others later – right now, I want _you_.”

 **β :: Sorrow ::**  
Myka is familiar with loss, but not as deeply as Helena, who lost not a lover but a child; there are still days when the grief overwhelms her, and Myka is helpless to ease her pain.

 **ε :: Hold ::**  
It is so simple now, to take Helena’s hand in hers and not let go.

 **δ :: Grave ::**  
Helena flies to Paris at least once a year to visit Christina, sometimes with Myka there, and sometimes not.

 **ε :: Sing ::**  
Now if Myka could just get Pete to stop singing about her and H.G. sitting in a tree, she might not have to have an assault listed on her criminal record.

 **β :: Blessing ::**  
A day off is a rare treat; a whole _week_ off – in a vaguely tropical setting, with no pings and no interruptions – is a miracle, and Myka and Helena intend to take full advantage.

 **β :: Weddings ::**  
It really isn’t Myka’s fault that she caught Vanessa’s bouquet – the woman has terrible aim and threw it directly at Myka’s head rather than at the small crowd of single women it was meant for – but now Pete and Claudia won’t stop going on about how she and H.G. are next and how awesome their wedding will be, and Helena, damn her, just sits there smirking and _not helping_ , and Myka is reasonably certain she’s getting a migraine.

 **α :: Star ::**  
Myka watches with a soft smile as Pete sits outside with Helena, sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of the constellations with his captivated audience.

 **α :: Hair ::**  
Myka has no idea how Helena keeps her hair so soft, but as she runs her fingers through it, she certainly isn’t complaining.

 **α :: Chocolate ::**  
Helena does not believe Myka’s claims that she abstains from sugar; firstly because of those odd red Twizzler sweets that Myka loves so much, and secondly because half the candies are missing from the box Helena received for Valentine’s Day, and since the box was in their room where no one else will dare to go, Helena can think of only one culprit.

 **δ :: Drink ::**  
Leena has lost track of the number of times she’s had to clean up half-empty cups of tea and coffee, left behind by women who had more pressing things to do up in their bedroom.

 **α :: Melody ::**  
Myka laughs (just a little, _mostly_ on the inside) when Claudia gets to the rap/hip-hop portion of “H.G.’s Modern Musical Education,” and the only comment from an uncharacteristically speechless Helena is something about the lack of a discernible melody.

 **δ :: Wood ::**  
“There are _reasons_ I prefer to work with metal,” Helena says, trying to sound unaffected (and not to wince) as Myka works at the splinter that dared to pierce her finger.

 **δ :: Regret ::**  
This is their problem: they blame themselves for too much, and forgive themselves for too little.

 **γ :: Box ::**  
“Such a beautiful box you found to encase my grappler,” Helena decides to say in front of Pete, prompting stifled laughter from the man-child and a blush from Myka.

 **γ :: Candle ::**  
Myka knows Helena prefers writing and reading by candlelight, so one day she takes her to the Yankee Candle store in the nearest mall; Helena spends the next few hours sampling every scent she can find (and passing at least half of those to Myka so she can try them as well) before leaving the store with multiple bags full of candles of all shapes and sizes – and Myka doubts this will be their last visit.

 **α :: Hands ::**  
Helena’s fingers rarely stop moving: they twist and turn over knobs and wires, crafting fantastic machines out of the simplest objects; they glide across blank pages, filling them with her words and imagination; they dance across Myka’s skin, confident in their ability to leave Myka breathless.

 **α :: Sickness ::**  
“Okay, you guys gotta stop being so frakkin’ cute all the time – seriously, I feel like I’m gonna throw up from all this sweetness.”

 **ε :: Motion ::**  
There is some sort of gravitational pull between them, forever drawing one toward the other.

 **γ :: Music ::**  
Helena is delighted to discover that Myka’s music of choice is familiar to her; she comes to enjoy modern music, at least some of it, but sometimes it is a comfort to hear the music of the world she left behind.

 **β :: Bane ::**  
A frequent sentiment: “You will one day be the death of me, darling.”

 **ε :: Learn ::**  
Claudia’s lessons about the 21st century are perhaps the most practical, but she enjoys Myka’s lessons more – perhaps because of the teacher, more than the material.

 **β :: Sojourn ::**  
Their stay in Colorado Springs is, for the most part, a pleasant one, perhaps because Myka insists on keeping it short; Myka loves her parents, and she loves how great they’ve been with Helena, but she can still only handle them in small doses.

 **ε :: Mad ::**  
Helena is no longer a villain, and thankfully she is no longer deceased, but some part of her will always be a little bit insane.

 **α :: Life ::**  
Helena is not afraid of death – it would almost be a comfort, after so many long years – but she prefers to live, at least for a while longer, if it can be a life lived with Myka.

 **α :: Clouds ::**  
Helena’s favorite part of any airplane flight is the moment the plane bursts through the clouds and emerges into the sunlight above; Myka’s is the way the sun illuminates Helena’s smile in that moment.

 **δ :: Fire ::**  
When Helena tries to sneak in after a night spent on super-secret projects: a sigh, eyes not looking up from the pages of a book, and, “How many things did you and Claud set on fire _this_ time?”

 **γ :: Silk ::**  
After decades spent in uncomfortable undergarments, Helena allows herself the indulgence of silk and lace; Myka’s appreciation is merely a side-benefit, albeit a welcome one.

 **ε :: Safe ::**  
Each time Myka leaves for a retrieval, Helena kisses her cheek and tells her to be safe, and prays that this will not be the mission in which Myka cannot do as she asks.

 **β :: Breathing ::**  
It should not be possible that Helena breathing down the back of her neck should turn her on so much.

 **β :: Soliloquy ::**  
Alright, yes, it’s _possible_ that Myka chooses “War of the Worlds” for movie night just to hear Helena rant and rave about it the entire way through.

 **γ :: Fall ::**  
“I did not _swoon_ – I _tripped_ ,” Myka insists, but Helena does not believe her.

 **α :: Confusion ::**  
Helena has become accustomed to the sense of confusion that comes with her lack of knowledge of the modern world, and so she is not overly bothered by the need to ask for clarification; nevertheless, she feels some small amount of encouragement and satisfaction on the occasions when Myka is as uninformed as she.

 **α :: Taste ::**  
It’s hard to get through dinner when Helena keeps moving her hand along Myka’s thigh; when she practically moans with nearly every bite; when she leans to whisper in Myka’s ear that she’d prefer to be tasting _her_ right now.

 **β :: Neutral ::**  
Pete knows he’s not the brains of the family, but he’s smart enough to know to _stay out of it_ when Mykes and H.G. are arguing.

 **α :: Soft ::**  
Helena prefers to sleep naked, and often wishes Myka would do the same, for ease-of-access purposes, but the feeling of Myka’s well-worn sleep shirts against her bare skin nearly makes up for any inconvenience.

 **β :: Whimsy ::**  
Myka doesn’t share Helena’s delight in the concept of Post-It notes, but she does love finding the messages her lover hides for her throughout the house.

 **ε :: Child ::**  
“And _that_ ,” Myka says, indicating the fertility artifact that Helena has just knocked off the shelves, “is why we shouldn’t do this anywhere near the Warehouse.”

 **γ :: Eclipse ::**  
“The Warehouse and I will always have a… _tenuous_ relationship,” Helena explains to anyone to asks, “and while I still have misgivings about being so close to its influence, I know that this is where Myka considers home, and my desire to be near her is greater than any apprehensions I may possess.”

 **γ :: Talk ::**  
She meant to have a conversation first, but then Myka pulls her in and kisses her, and Helena realizes Myka has other, more pleasant plans for their mouths.

 **δ :: Fall ::**  
When football season starts, Pete extends his annual “get Myka to watch football with me” crusade to include H.G. – but it turns out that Myka is even better at not watching football when she has a girlfriend to play with.

 **β :: Near ::**  
When they finally move out of the B &B, they don’t go far – their new home is near enough that even Artie can’t complain… though he certainly tries.

 **γ :: Strength ::**  
Helena has a great appreciation for Myka’s athletic physique – the strength in Myka’s arms, when she pins Helena to the bed and holds her there, and the beauty of her abdominal muscles, which quiver under the softest touch.

 **α :: Comfort ::**  
Sometimes, when Myka is away for several days at a time, Helena sleeps with her head on Myka’s pillow and Mr. Bear nestled in her arms.

 **α :: Sensual ::**  
Helena’s voice has a remarkable effect on Myka; it’s partly the accent (she knows because she heard Emily Lake’s not-quite-American accent and it wasn’t appealing at all), and it’s partly the confidence and charm that comes to Helena so naturally, but it’s mostly just the fact that when it comes to H.G. Wells, Myka Bering is utterly weak.

 **β :: Sordid ::**  
“For the last time, Pete, _no_ , I am not giving you any details about anything that Helena and I do together.”

 **β :: Share ::**  
Sometimes Myka thinks that Helena doesn’t understand the concept of _too much information_ – though it’s more likely that she _does_ understand and just doesn’t care.

 **β :: Wonder ::**  
The Warehouse ceased to hold more than a passing interest for Helena a long time ago, and yet somehow she has found her endless wonder in a new source: one Myka Ophelia Bering.

 **δ :: Snakes ::**  
“How is it, exactly, that you can tolerate snakes, yet you cannot abide any creature with tentacles?” Helena asks, receiving only a glare in response.

 **ε :: Never ::**  
Myka’s life, as it is, is something she never could have imagined, not even as recently as five years ago, but now it is also something she can’t imagine giving up.

 **β :: Worry ::**  
“I just – I can’t lose you.”

 **α :: Heaven ::**  
Helena desperately wants to believe that there is a place where her Christina still exists, free of pain and full of peace and happiness – where she might see her daughter again, and hold her, and perhaps even introduce her to Myka.

 **α :: Blood ::**  
“Mykes, are you _sure_ H.G.’s not a vampire, ‘cuz that’s a pretty massive hickey on your neck right there.”

 **ε :: Hunger ::**  
“I’d _love_ to stay in bed all day, I really would, but I’m actually pretty hungry, and we’ll need food if we want to… keep doing what we’ve been doing, and I’m pretty sure if we don’t go down right now Pete will eat all the good food and we’ll be left with, like, cereal or something – and stop grinning at me like that!”

 **β :: Birthday ::**  
Myka lets Claudia convince her to throw a big party for Helena’s one-hundred-and-fiftieth because, as Claudia put it, it’s kind of a big deal.

 **δ :: Bugs ::**  
Helena thinks it’s _hilarious_ when an insect elicits a squeal from Pete, and though Myka rolls her eyes, she drops whatever she’s doing and quickly and silently comes to Pete’s aid.

 **γ :: View ::**  
Helena catches Myka staring at her one afternoon and decides to tease: “Do you see something you like, darling?”

 **δ :: Winter ::**  
Helena cannot comprehend Myka’s fascination with winter, but when the weather causes roads to be closed and air travel to cease and everyone is trapped at home, Helena finds she has little reason to complain.

 **γ :: Memory ::**  
Myka likes listening to Helena’s memories of Christina, of the little girl’s first words and first steps, of her favorite bedtime stories, of the pets she tried to bring into the house, of the trousers she’d insisted on wearing so she could be just like her mummy.

 **ε :: Wash ::**  
As unpleasant as it is to be unexpectedly showered in neutralizer fluid, Helena does so enjoy the cleaning up afterward… as long as Myka is also involved.

 **γ :: Forever ::**  
Myka’s not sure how Helena feels about marriage, but she buys a ring, anyway; she plans on spending the rest of her life with Helena, regardless – but if she can, she’d like to do it as Helena’s wife.

 **δ :: Spring ::**  
Sometimes Helena finds the greatest delight in the simplest of things: Myka gives her a slinky one day, and for the next few months no staircase is safe from Helena’s favorite new toy.

 **β :: Quiet ::**  
Myka loves the noisy evenings, when everyone is home and happy and having fun; but the quiet nights are just as nice, when it’s just her and Helena, reading or talking or doing nothing at all.

 **α :: Freedom ::**  
Myka takes Helena to Featherhead to vote for the first time; Helena shakes with giddy anticipation as she waits in line, clutching her ballot, and she cannot stop grinning – because she was never allowed to do this, before, and the knowledge that she can, now, has not yet stopped being amazing to her.

 **α :: Waves ::**  
Helena is less enthusiastic about visiting the ocean than Myka is, perhaps because she spent far too much time aboard cramped, dirty, constantly-rocking ships during her time at Warehouse 12; but then, there _is_ something to be said for the sight of Myka in a bathing suit.

 **α :: Happiness ::**  
“We just want you to be happy,” is what her father says when Myka brings Helena home for the first time – it may be a cliché, but it’s not a sentiment Warren Bering has ever expressed to his daughter before, and that’s what makes it amazing.

 **ε :: One ::**  
Her sister may be the person she’s told about the Warehouse, but in Myka’s mind, Helena will always be her One.

 **γ :: Body ::**  
Helena’s body is nothing like Sam’s was – hers is soft and sleek where his was angular and solid – and Myka delights in the difference.

 **β :: Natural ::**  
It feels so _right_ , lying like this, with Helena’s body draped across hers, Helena’s fingers entwined with her own, and the sound of Helena’s breathing in her ears.

 **δ :: End ::**  
They both know that things will change and their time together will come to an end – but Myka is not concerned about that now, not when Helena is real, and here, and hers to kiss and hold and love. 

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear comments on individual sentences. Please note, all prompts are preceded by a Greek letter (α,β,γ,δ, and ε); these correspond to the theme set from which the prompt was taken. These letters help me know which sentence is which (since there are a few prompts that occur twice).


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